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Vampirism
Vampirism or polymorphic hemaphilia is a magical disease that causes the infected to reanimate with a desire to consume the blood of mortal races in order to survive. There are four different types of vampirism in Tolas, Jiang-Shi, Moroi, Nosferatu and Vetala. Origins of Vampires The vampires of Tolas are believed to be descended from an original strain of vampire known as the Strigoi that arrived in the Material Plane from another darker plane during a great war in prehistory. These creatures have either been slain, entombed for all eternity or returned to their original plane where there is no sun to scorch them. Many believe the god The Mockery was behind their introduction to Tolas, seeing them as his chosen race in the world as a perversion of the other races, corrupting the potential for good in the world and replacing it with an unlife. Different groups of Strigoi responded to life on Tolas differently, with the first forming into Nosferatu, immortal creatures who's bodies constantly decay requiring them to consume the blood of mortals to survive with barely contained bestial rage. Others chose to embrace a culture of refinement and youth, with their bodies becoming ageless and more appealing to the prey they stalked, these became the Moroi and they eventually outnumbered their kin in the world, becoming the standard for what is meant by a vampire. Last of the true vampires descended from the Strigoi'' are the Jiang-shi, forming from those Strigoi that refused to feast on the blood of lesser races driving themselves to near extinction. These entombed themselves away seeking to sleep through the life of the world only to awake prematurely with an insatiable hunger that made them forget their pride, driving them to consume the raw life energy from any and all prey they could find. The final gift to the world that the Strigoi gave to Tolas are dhampirs, the inevitable result of an ageless race living amongst the peoples of the world. Whether formed by love or a violent encounter, these children are often shunned by both, able to walk in both worlds but accepted by neither. Jiang-Shi Jiang-shi are corpses that have had profane rituals performed upon them forcing them to reanimate and seek to fulfil some task that the original mortal had let uncompleted in their lifetime. They will often awaken many years later, sometime even centuries, so there exists the chance that whatever deed they were created to do has long since been resolved, moved on or simply become irrelevant. The desire to complete this task is all that sustains Jiang-shi though their obsession can shift randomly at a moments notice, such as hoarding objects of one colour or killing a certain amount of people every moon cycle. They are found almost exclusively in Farthrone, with many rising from crypts in the former Orjeri Union some even floating out of the Black Cloud, often stained a sooty black and blinded. Hunting Tactics They hunt via interpretation of signs and symbols that they see everywhere around them, numbers and motifs linger from memories of their past life haunting them. Relying on hit and run tactics, a Jiang-shi can be seen hopping in a sudden surge of motion, bounding up to its prey and either gripping it tight to suck out the life force or chi, or swiftly inhaling the creature's life energy in a flurry of motion before returning to finish the deed on the now weakened prey. Abilities Jiang-shi are intelligent creatures but are oft underestimated due to their apparent single mindedness, but having retained their memory from their past life they have witnessed a life from birth to burial bringing about an acute awareness of divine magic and the threat it posses for them. The scroll nailed to their head provides protection against the magicks of implement weapons such as staves and wands, though not against the magic of spellcasters cast from their own life force. Jiang-shi are weak to sound as well as anything that disrupts their ability to interpret the signs and symbols they perceive around them. Dhampir Jiang-shi born dhampirs, or Ru-shi, are born from rituals rather than any copulation act between a Jiang-shi and a mortal though a Jiang-shi will always play a part in the act to some degree, either as the instigator magically impregnating a woman to fulfil its desire to have a child that it held as a mortal or being bound by a powerful mage seeking to create a heir. They are found in abundance in the territories of the Orjeri Union, with the later days of that empire being filled with such profane acts. Many bear similar traits to Jiang-shi such as innate mathematical and linguistic knowledge but also the weakness to loud noises. Moroi Moroi vampires are descended from the Nosferatu strain of vampirism though they seek to claim the title of vampire for themselves, with many believing that the other known vampires such as Vetala and Jiang-shi to be unrelated to their purity that formed from their corrupted kin. The truth is however that the Moroi strain is simply the most common of the vampire forms, with no actual culture being a part of that, they are simply products of their environment, with aristocratic families such as in Stovakor sharing relations with the same rogue lizardman forced to feed on travellers in the swamps. These vampires are found throughout the world though most commonly in Etan where they have a number of known families and covens. Hunting Tactics Moroi seldom hunt unless their is great need, preferring instead to have their prey come to them or have mortal cattle on hand to sate their blood-lust. When they are forced to seek prey, whether through exile from their comfortable homes or as some long planned out act of revenge, Moroi embrace the feral nature they had kept caged for so long, choosing to kill rather than just feed, revelling in the slaughter and pain of their victims, as seen during the Long Night. Abilities Moroi are vulnerable to the light of the sun forcing them to use agents and thralls to carry out their work in the daylight whilst they seal themselves in their coffins. One of the Moroi's most unique abilities is the power to spawn other of its kind through transfer of its blood to its victim which it can choose to do as it feeds, though this is seldom a choice taken lightly, often grooming an individual for such an honour for years until finally bestowing the gift to them, either willingly or not. Dhampir Moroi-born dhampir, or Sventocher, are the most common found throughout Tolas due to the abundance of their progenitor race. Their creation is an oft argued topic, with some believing that they are spawned when a vampire feeds on a pregnant woman, others believing that they are from a direct act of copulation and others believing that they can be born merely from having a child in a corrupt society. These can be found living within either society depending on which of their parents has taken to raise them. Since many Moroi are involved with nobility there is a high chance that a Sventocher to be born into a highborn family with some potentially inheriting their wealth and titles, though others are exiled, being left on the doorstep of a mortal family or church. Nosferatu These are the oldest of the vampires of the world and what few remain are either feral, entombed or forlorn. Trapped in a body bound to live forever but not to stay young, the Nosferatu of the world despise themselves and their condition with only their constant hunger keeping them from ending their wretched existence. Though filled with feral desires a Nosferatu is never insane, its mind remaining rational despite the years of strain placed upon it, with those gone feral still aware of what they are and once were. Some are the heads of covens of Moroi, their age and knowledge making them perfect leader figures. Most however live on the margins of society, as outcasts from the mortal world and the hidden world of their kin, seen as monsters by both. Hunting Tactics Nosferatu have little to beguile mortals into their lair with beyond their knowledge so they must hunt, attacking travellers on the road or stalking around a town or village, never staying in one place for long. These creatures are lucky if they have a coffin, with most crawling into dark holes in the ground. Most have lost the dignity of their race and will feed on vermin and animals if no better prey is available. Abilities Nosferatu bear many of the classic abilities of vampires along with many of the weaknesses. They are prone to magical abilities to compel animals and even people to their bidding and they are capable of taking on the shape of a swarm of vermin or even a wolf to hide should hunters come for them. They will fight like cornered animals if they are forced to, seeking to kill or maim as many as possible so that even if they are killed then a fraction of its disfigurement and pain will be spread to others. Dhampir Dhampir descended from Nosferatu vampires are known as ancient-born, the exact details of how such a creature can be created has been a topic seldom touched on by philosophers and academics with many believing that to contemplate whatever foul acts were undertaken to spawn such a creature to not bare considering. Most are run off from their home at puberty when the foulness of their heritage truly manifests. Cursed with a body that decays but without the immortality, ancient-born are considered abominations even as children as they display no qualities of a child such as joy or laughter knowing only self-loathing. What little gifts their gain from their heritage are far outweighed by the curse placed upon them, an expanded intellect only serves to heighten their awareness of what they truly are. Their bodies are easily ravaged by illness and poisons, leaving them scared and frail if they manage to survive to adulthood. Vetala The Vetala are not true vampires, as in descendants from the original strain of the Strigoi, but they appear to be a breed so close that clearly they either share some common heritage or have been made in a mirror of their kin elsewhere in the world. They are primarily found in Vhir sometimes as a part of society with some of the leaders of Zel'bidaal rumoured to be such creatures. A Vetala is formed from the untimely death of a child and their enraged soul becoming trapped in the Material Plane, occasionally finding purchase in the corpses of adults, animating the bodies and using them to live out the experiences they never got to, and consume the memories of others to live through them. Though able to discard a body like clothing and fit into another a Vetala is tethered to the world by its original corpse which it will often move to sites where it would be innocuous, often near other bodies where it can try out new forms. Vetala do not consume blood like other vampires, instead they feast on the memories and thoughts of mortals, gaining sustenance from the life energy of experiences. These are lost from the victim, leaving them as lifeless husks unable to recall their own names. The Vetala clings onto these delicious memories providing it with a mad jumble of random pieces of historical lore making them sought by the desperate or foolish seeking some piece of information long lost. Hunting Tactics A Vetala will take on the form of a recently deceased person, learn of their life from the fragments of their memories that remain and use it against their former loved ones, calling out to widows and widowers in their partners voice to lure them closer to an embrace. Sometimes they might consume some of their victim's memories and fill their mind with false ones such as a crime they committed or a belief that they are in danger to fill them with fear and guilt, possibly making its life more excited from the Vetala's point of view. They will seek out those with the most interesting lives, heroes and adventurers being a particular favourite of the former children. They can be found in the aftermaths of battles, animating corpses to get close to the commanders of the battle so they might know all that happened, the heavy decisions that had to be made providing much sustenance. Abilities The mind draining ability of the Vetala is its greatest weapon, though for most it is only a source of nourishment, occasionally however some Vetala will live long enough or absorb a particularly powerful consciousness to allow it it sift through the memories it has consumed with a clarity that shows a pattern or some great plan that it sees within the jumbled mess. These Vetala are among the most dangerous, as they are less likely to act on childish desires instead embracing larger concerns even going so far as joining cultures. To create another of its kind a Vetala will kidnap a child, usually one well loved and happy so that it might feast on these memories that it has since lost or never experienced. The child's family have their memories to only half remember them, often leaving only a painful memory when they attempt to recall them. Once the child starves to death the Vetala's presence taints the child's soul leaving it as a newly formed Vetala with no memory of its life or death, knowing only that it is the friend of the original Vetala who has gained a new play companion. Only by consuming the memories of one who knew the child as a youth will the new Vetala know of its creation and the act of its maker leaving it free to act under its own choices rather than the shackles of its creator. Dhampir Dhampirs born from Vetala are known as Ajibachana, born from the curiosity of its parent race seeking to experience the love that it has consumed from countless individuals. Most cultures are quite tolerant of Ajibachana as they bear no disfigurement or inherent malice, often being quite beautiful and bearing a wonder at the world and the vast knowledge therein. They do however share a trait which betrays their heritage, that being a vulnerability to the power of holy sites and icons. An Ajibachana will seek to learn as much as it can of the world, filled with its parent's desire for knowledge but tempered by an understanding of what it is learning. An average Ajibachana will have probably learned more in its short life that most Vetala, who would have more knowledge consumed but would have little if any understanding of most of it. They are prized as advisers and artists amongst the Zelfolk who they have found the most prosperity with as an almost unique race. Specific Vampire Strains ''The Grey Lady's Gift Whilst the elves of Quel'Doran were in conflict with one another, with no one gaining any real progress in establishing the empire that they had arrived on Tolas to set up, a woman cloaked in grey approached the descendants of the High Elf that lead the migration. She offered them the gift immortality and great power in order to fulfil their goal, infecting them with a later strain of Nosferatu blood that evolved into some of the first Moroi. These first elves would then become the Imperial Family of Quel'Doran and later would be the vampires that claimed Stovakor. The Feral Children These are vampires that have been infected with vampirism via being sired from some aspiring vampire lord, often been abandoned by their creator and building their own covens in the wilds and fringes of civilisations. These are the vampires most commonly fought by adventurers in the world. The Cabal These vampires are those that have elected to integrate themselves into a society, gaining status and moving on when they linger too long in one area. These vampires are often alone and not part of any coven or family, preferring to embrace the philosophy of the Masquerade, almost always Moroi or Vetala. Category:In-World Concepts Category:Vampire Category:Races